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HANOVER, Pa. — Three new stores Weis Markets is building in Pennsylvania will use 50% less refrigerant than the typical supermarket, the company said, reducing their impact on the ozone layer and climate change.
Three new stores Weis Markets is building in Pennsylvania will use 50% less refrigerant than the typical supermarket, the company said, reducing their impact on the ozone layer and climate change.
The 164-unit chain’s Carlisle Street store in Hanover, Pa., was the first supermarket in Pennsylvania to earn a certification award from the GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership, a voluntary Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) alliance with food retailers that aims to reduce refrigerant missions. Weis used the occasion of the award presentation to announce that it would use the same technology and systems in three superstores currently under construction in Bellefonte, West Lawn and Fork Township, Pa.
"Reducing the environmental impact of our stores is a key part of being a good neighbor and we are committed to doing so in the years ahead," said Kevin Small, Weis Markets’ vice president of construction and development. "As a long-time proponent of sustainability and recycling, we have embraced the next generation of technology that will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint and operate our stores more efficiently. We plan for these three new stores to achieve GreenChill certification."
To achieve GreenChill’s silver certification, a store must meet stringent environmental criteria, including using refrigerants that do not damage the ozone layer, and cutting the amount of refrigerant used by at least 50% of the industry average. Other requirements involve reducing refrigerant emissions and leaks.
Only 35 of the nation’s 35,000 grocery stores have received GreenChill Store Certification awards, according to the EPA.
"Weis’s commitment to achieve GreenChill’s certification standards for three new stores proves that the company is serious about its role in protecting the ozone layer and preventing climate change," said Keilly Witman, manager of EPA’s GreenChill Partnership. "It is important that companies understand that helping the environment doesn’t end with one store. It has to become the business model of the future."
